People calling out your name...

 

That is the time when you've reached the summit, but if they keep on doing that for years, that means that you've become a legend and you'll never die as you will stay in the people's hearts for ever.

As our Spanish writer Garcilaso de la Vega said, it is not just a matter of becoming a legend, but of not being forgotten by your kin and people around you when you pass away.

 

 Here's my musical hint for today: Calling out your name by Rich Mullins. Here's a version with the lyrics for you to check!

 

Here are some activities for you to do:

• Real Easy English:   Talking about music  (BBC Learning English) 
  

• Learning English from the News: Lost Maya city found in Mexico  (BBC Learning English)

• Job applications: Your first day  (BBC Learning English)

• A listening exercise for you to do:   Why you need a good night's sleep  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

   

   

Road towards success in the new PAU (Selectivity exam).....

Use of English

9. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE CORRECT OPTION:
9.1. “I waited for him for two hours but he didn’t turn…” up / over / down / off
9.2. “He passed… peacefully after a long illness.” over / back / down / away
 

10. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH A CORRECT FORM OF THE VERB IN BRACKETS:
10.1. “Ed Sheeran… since he was a little boy.” (sing)
10.2. “She… a sales manager three years ago.” (become)
 

11. REWRITE THE SENTENCE WITHOUT CHANGING ITS MEANING. BEGIN AS INDICATED: “The new iPhone is very expensive, so I
decided not to buy it.” The new iPhone is so …
 

12. GIVE A QUESTION FOR THE UNDERLINED WORDS: “It takes her less than two hours to have it ready.”
 

13. TURN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE INTO INDIRECT SPEECH: “Jason told her, ‘Don’t be late to my party tomorrow.’”
 

14. THERE ARE TWO MISTAKES IN THIS SENTENCE. FIND THE MISTAKES AND REWRITE THE SENTENCE CORRECTLY. 

“If only women get equals opportunities in today’s world.”

SOLUTIONS TO THE RELATIVE CLAUSES EXERCISE IN THE PREVIOUS POST

1. Lindsay is the eldest child who has has to look after the other children.

2. The King, who had a whisky everyday, lived for a long time.(king is written with a capital letter so it is considered a non-defining relative clause. If it hadn't, it would have been a defining one without commas)

3. He was reading the book whose characters were zombies.

4. Nowadays new kinds of sport, which seldom appear on television, attract more and more people.

5. John Bloom, whose novel..... film, died recently.

6. He used a sexist word whose meaning was pejorative for women.

7. He received an e-mail, whose content was spam.

8. That man, who has more.... a politician, talks a lot.

9. Michael, whose family....ago, has been attending Italian lessons.

10. Clark Kent worked for a newspaper that was called ‘The Daily Planet’.

11. Johnny Depp, whose portrait.... superb, is starring in Finding Neverland.

12. I could not move my car, which had no petrol.

13. Nikki, who is against the ban, sells cinema tickets.

14. Occidental observers are against the veiling of women in Arabia, which is ..... segregation.

15. Van Gogh, whose works.... millions, only sold one painting during his lifetime. 

16. Every year lots of tourists visit that old building, which is one of the major attractions in London.

17. John, who was a heavy smoker, has given up smoking.

18. The man, whose sister .... Liverpool, fell off his bike and was taken to hospital.

19. Jane Halifax, who does not... the proposal, is the president of the committee.

20. The dog whose name was Laika was sent into space in 1957.

21. This is the computer I bought last month.

22. MTV, whose influence..... rapidly, reaches millions of households.

23. Is this the place where they sell disks for the CD Rom?

24. The boy I sold a videgame to last week is very satisfied.

25. This is the computer game everyone is talking about.

26. Elisabeth, who Thomas invited to his premiere, is a prestigious writer. 

27. Those books, which I have been waiting for three months, are no longer published in England. (I have been waiting for these books since August)

28. Mars, which businessmen are investing their money in, is expecting visitors in the short term. (investment , shortly)

29. We interviewed that young man, who they hired, last week.

30. The actor the police was looking for was a criminal.

 

 

The London to Edinburgh challenge: Episode 9: Race to the castle (BBC Learning English)

LearnEnglish with Lucy... What is your English vocabulary level? Take this test.

Ask BBC Learning English: How can I speak English more fluently?

Latest News on the flash floods in Valencia >>>

• Trapped in cars and garages: Why Valencia floods proved so deadly (BBC News)

• Dead bodies found after torrential rain brings flash flooding to Spain (CNN News)

Help yourself

Help yourself with some cake.... or perhaps some knowledge. What does this expression mean? It means someone provides you with food... or knowledge and you decide what to have and how much you want, like in a buffet.

It is up to you to decide which is the most suitable food for you and the amount you really need. You can't only have custard or apple pie, and eat loads of it. You would get ill.

 

 Tom Jones also advises you to help yourself with some love. Here's a version with the lyrics for you to check!

 

Here are some activities for you to do:

• Georgie teaches us about the Conditional Sentences:   Mixed Conditionals 2  (BBC Learning English) 
  

• BUSINESS JARGON: Jargon for meetings  (BBC Learning English)

• English in a Minute: Verbs to use with INCREASE  (BBC Learning English)

• A listening exercise for you to do:   Tech that refuses to die  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

   

   

Road towards success in the new PAU (Selectivity exam).....

 Here's an exercise on the RELATIVE CLAUSES (Insert the second sentences into the first ones):

1. Lindsay is the eldest child. She has to look after the other children.

2. The King lived for a long time. He had a whisky everyday.

3. He was reading a book. Its characters were zombies.

4. Nowadays new kinds of sport attract more and more people. They seldom appear on television.

5. John Bloom died recently. His novel “The French Affair” was made into a beautiful film.

6. He used a sexist word. Its meaning was pejorative for women.

7. He received an e-mail. Its content was spam.

8. That man talks a lot. He has more chances to become a politician.

9. Michael has been attending Italian lessons. His family moved to Rome five years ago.

10. Clark Kent worked for a newspaper. The newspaper was called ‘The Daily Planet’.

11. Johnny Depp is starring in Finding Neverland. His portrait of Captain Sparrow is superb.

12. I could not move my car. It had no petrol.

13. Nikki sells cinema tickets. She is against the ban.

14. Occidental observers are against the veiling of women in Arabia. The veiling is an example of sexual segregation.

15. Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime. His works are worth millions.

16. Lots of tourists visit that old building every year. It is one of the major attractions in London.

17. John has given up smoking. He was a heavy smoker.

18. The man fell off his bike and was taken to hospital. His sister is the new student from Liverpool.

19. Jane Halifax is the president of the committee. She does not support the proposal.

20. A dog was sent into space in 1957. Its name was Laika.

21. This is the computer. I bought it last month.

22. MTV reaches millions of households. Its influence is growing rapidly.

23. Is this the place? Do they sell disks for the CD Rom here?

24. The boy is very satisfied. I sold a video game to that boy last week.

25. This is the computer game. Everyone is talking about it.

26. Elisabeth is a prestigious writer. Thomas invited Elisabeth to his premiere.

27. Those books are no longer published in England. I have been waiting for those books three months. (REWRITE THIS SENTENCE)

28. Mars is expecting visitors in the short term. Businessmen are investing their money in Mars. (WHAT IS THE NOUN THAT COMES FROM THE VERB TO INVEST? TELL ME ANOTHER WAY TO SAY IN THE SHORT TERM)

29. We interviewed that young man last week. They hired that young man.

30. The actor was a criminal. The police was looking for the actor.

SOLUTIONS TO THE CONDITIONAL EXERCISE IN THE PREVIOUS POST

1. If only I had done my homework.        2. They wish they hadn't committed the crime.
3. I wish this kid would follow my advice / this kid weren't so stubborn.
4. I wish he would help / helped more at home.     5. If only he paid more attention in class.
6. If only he would stop smoking.      7. I wish I hadn't drunk so much last night.
8. He wishes he had read the small print.
9. Steve wishes he had proposed to Isabel at the right moment / when he could.
10. She wishes she had done what her mother had asked her.
11. I wish he wouldn't / would never belch at all after eating.
12. If only she had paid attention to my warnings.

 

 

 

The London to Edinburgh challenge: Episode 8: Directions (BBC Learning English)

 

Solutions to last post's Selectivity exam

2021. Cycling, the best mode of transport & Mo, the cat    

TEXT 1: CYCLING, THE BEST MODE OF TRANSPORT

1. d     2. a

3. TRUE (lines 5-6) “(They…) most people in low- and middle-income countries would be unable to participate in the economy and community, or access education (… services.)”
4. TRUE (lines 8-9) “For instance, it helps to reduce the risk of diabetes, some forms of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, depression, and it prevents obesity.”
5. FALSE (lines 11-12) “People who walk or cycle to work tend to be more satisfied, less stressed, more relaxed, and they experience greater freedom compared to people who drive their car to work.”
6. FALSE (line 14) “In short, compared to travelling by car or bus, cycling saves money, it is a cheap means of transport, (and scores well in terms of social impact of urban mobility.)”

7.1 worldwide (line 6)     7.2 benefit(s) (line 9)   8.1 obesity (line 9)    8.2 pollutant(s) (line 10)

TEXT 2: MO, THE CAT

9. c     10. b

11. FALSE (lines 1-2) “Mo –the cat– was staying in a cattery on the outskirts of Swansea (eight years ago, while his humans went on holiday).”
12. TRUE (lines 5-6) “However, they also knew there was a small chance they’d see him again.”
13. FALSE (line 10) “Last October, the Harris family received an unexpected call from a veterinary centre.” // (lines 10-11) “They said they’d found a cat matching Mo’s microchip and that he’d been living near where he got lost with an old lady who had passed away.”
14. TRUE (lines 12-13) “The black cat has a lot of catching up to do, as the family currently has three other cats.”

15.1  accept(ed)  (line 8)    15.2 return (line 2)     16.1 chance (line 6)   16.2 relieved (line 13)

17.1 meeting   17.2 haven't done    18.1 on     18.2 up

19. They / The jury / The judge gave the politicians accused of stealing long sentences. // They / The jury / The judge gave long sentences to the politicians accused of stealing.
20. Home may only be left for specific reasons. // Home may be left for specific reasons only.
21. How much (money) is he being paid for this project?
22. This castle, where/in which Queen Elizabeth spends her summer holidays, is the most visited tourist attraction in this city. // Queen Elizabeth spends her summer holidays in this castle, which is the most visited tourist attraction in this city.
23. You do not need to book / do not have to book / needn’t book a table at that restaurant because it is never full.
24. Subject + could(n’t)/would(n’t) + have + past participle // Subject + could(n’t)/would(n’t) + infinitive   Example: they wouldn't have sacked me from the company.
25. Tom is the best chess player in his class.
26. She has never used her mother’s car because it has the steering wheel on the right.
27. “Mum, don’t go into my room”, John said. // John told his mother: “Don’t go into my room”.
28. She will have her car repaired next Friday.

Quizzes: Complete the expression & Which is correct? (BBC Learning English)

Breaking News >>>

• 
  Dozens killed as Spanish region hit by year's worth of rain in eight hours (BBC News)
• Bodies found as severe flash flooding hits southern and eastern Spain (CNN News)

If only my students followed my advice!!!

 

 

If only my students followed my advice and did what they are told!!! Wishes, wishes teachers have!! Later students regret not having done things properly.

Pay attention to this post and a revision of some advanced conditional sentences so useful for the students sitting the PAU exam next June. The Selectivity exam I propose you includes an even more difficult sample.

 

 

 Here's my musical hint for today:  whirlwind by Lainey Wilson. Here's a version with the lyrics for you to check! (By the way, give me a synonym for 'whirlwind')

 

Here are some activities for you to do:

• 

  Georgie teaches us about the Conditional Sentences:   Mixed Conditionals 1  (BBC Learning English) 
  

• Real Easy English: Talking about RESTAURANTS  (BBC Learning English)

• Learning English from the News (Crisis in the Middle East): Earth's climate defences failing  (BBC Learning English)

• A listening exercise for you to do:   Divorce: Why does it happen?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

   

   

 

Exercises on the CONDITIONAL SENTENCES....

I wish.../ If only...

As a kind of warm-up activity you can do this exercise first (the solutions are at the end). Once you've finished, you can complete each of the sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence before it.

1. I didn't do the homework.  If only ........
2. They have committed a crime and now they have to face justice.   They wish .......
3. This kid is so stubborn. I wish .......
4. He never does any household chores. I'm sick and tired of it. I wish .....
5. Jason doesn't pay much attention in class. If only.....
6. Why doesn't he stop smoking? There are other people in the room who don't smoke. If only.....
7. I've got a splitting headache. I wish .......
8. He signed the contract without reading the small print. He wishes .....
9. Steve didn't propose to Isabel when he should have. Now Isabel is in Australia. Steve wishes.....
10. She was told off because she didn't do what her mother had asked her. She wishes......
11. He always belches loudly after eating. It's such a disgusting habit. I wish.....
12. She didn't heed (pay attention to) my warnings. That's why she lost everything. If only ....

 

 

 

The London to Edinburgh challenge: Episode 7: Family (BBC Learning English)

Solutions to the exercises in the previous post.....

 2. Answer both subsections in this question. (2,5 points)
2.1. Write a new sentence that has the same meaning as the given one. Use the word or expression in brackets. (1,5 points)

1. Although some people like the old language rules, inclusive language users are implementing new strategies.
2. Clara Campoamor campaigned for women’s suffrage when the Second Spanish Republic happened in the 1930s.
3. The fascist regime lasted from 1939 to 1975, when Franco died.
4. Ever since the Feminist movement became more militant, the #MeToo movement in the European parliament has two spokeswomen.
5. The two spokeswomen who represent the #MeToo movement in the European parliament are both Spanish.
6. Given that there are still many issues to be dealt with regarding gender equality,  International Women’s Day keeps taking place on 8th March every year.
 

2.2. Answer the following questions about pronunciation. (1 point)
1. stopped,  ranked    2.  even    3. moment     4.  manage      5.  multiple,  

3. In this text, fill in the gaps with the most suitable option from the four options given for each gap.
(2,5 points)

1:  inviting      2:  has been expanding     3:  over     4:  left      5: a few of     6:  feedback      7: follower 

8: challenges   9:  report to     10: by

4. Answer one of the following subsections (2,5 points)
4.1. Write a formal e-mail to a member of the European Parliament complaining about a specific issue that people your age in Spain are concerned about. (120 words)

Notes: Pay attention to the rules of formal writing in terms of register and style (i.e., formal greetings at the beginning and at the end, paragraph organisation, formulae used to open and close the e-mail, use of formal connectors and discourse markers, no contractions, etc.)

4.2. Write a brief composition answering this question: What is your view on gender equality? (120 words)

Notes: Pay attention to the fact that this is academic writing, so pay attention to register and style (i.e., no contractions, use of well-suited connectors and discourse markers, sound structure: opening + formulation of thesis statement + development of supporting ideas + conclusion, etc.)

 

Quizz: Fill the gap (BBC Learning English)

Road towards success in the new PAU (Selectivity exam).....

 Here's an interesting exam to do with a bizarre conditional construction:

2021. Cycling, the best mode of transport & Mo, the cat    

 

Pumpkin carving contest for our 1º & 2º ESO students...

 

 

 

New wars, old wars, famine, panic everywhere. So much for a quiet August (The Guardian)

 

Breaking News >>>

• Flash floods in Spain leave at least 13 people dead (Sky News)
• Dead bodies found after torrential rain brings flash flooding to Spain (The Guardian)
• At least 13 dead in flash floods in Spain (BBC News)